Radcliffe risks sparking competitive instinct

Paula Radcliffe admits her competitive spirit will kick in when she lines up for the 10,000m final in the World Championships tomorrow.

Radcliffe insists she is using Saturday's race as part of her preparation for next week's marathon, when she will start as a firm favourite to win gold around the streets of Helsinki.

But the 31-year-old concedes she will not be able to simply cruise round the Olympic stadium and give the likes of defending champion Berhane Adere and favourite Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia an easy ride to the podium.

"I know that, I'm not going into it thinking I'm just going to use it as a run around," the Bedford athlete said upon her arrival in the Finnish capital.

"But I feel a good competitive outing is not going to do me any harm. I'm looking forward to racing and I feel like I'm in good shape, that's why I'm racing.

"It's not a decision to double up, it's more a decision to use the 10k as preparation for the marathon. The marathon is still the main focus but I just felt I was in good 10k shape and wanted to build on that.

"I felt it could fit in without harming the marathon."

The last time Radcliffe ran both races at a major championships ended in tears, the world record holder failing to finish the Olympic marathon and five days later dropping out of the 10,000m.

Her decision to run both events again here has drawn obvious parallels to the crushing disappointment of Athens, but Radcliffe implied this time she is thinking more clearly than in Greece.

"This is me racing because I want to race and I'm enjoying it," she added on the BBC website. "Last year I was just kicking out trying to find out what was happening.

"Now it's because I want to race and I'm ready to race. I'm just excited to be here in good shape, healthy and ready to go out and run."

There is no doubt Radcliffe is still motivated by claiming the global track gold medal which has so far eluded her in an otherwise glittering career.

She won silver over 10,000m in 1999, leading almost from the gun in searing heat in Seville only for Ethiopia's Gete Wami to overtake her just 200m from the line.

In Edmonton, two years later Radcliffe adopted different tactics, waiting until four laps from the finish to make her move - famously sparking a public row with husband Gary Lough on the track afterwards.

This time three Ethiopians moved past her at the bell, Derartu Tulu claiming gold ahead of Berhane Adere, Wami just edging out Radcliffe for the bronze.

Injury prevented Radcliffe from taking part in Paris two years ago although in 2002 she had taken Commonwealth gold in the 5,000m in Manchester and followed up nine days later with a brilliant 10,000m victory in pouring rain in the European Championships in Munich.

Whether or not Radcliffe has the fitness, and inclination, to put in a typical front-running performance to blow away her rivals on Saturday night remains to be seen, but even a medal of any colour would be a much-needed boost to a British team not expected to shine.

"Everybody is going to go out there and do their best and I think we're going to surprise a few people," added Radcliffe, who spent three days in Limerick this week with physical therapist Gerard Hartmann.

"There is nothing unusual about that. I always go to see him before a race and this one was no different. He did his normal tests and everything is okay."